FEBRUARY 2022

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 02 FEBRUARY 2022
Determinants of Student Activism in State Universities in Sri Lanka
1Dimuthu Kumari, M.S., 2Fernando, R.L.S.
1,2Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v5-i2-25

Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT

Producing high-quality human resources is one of the main aims of the state university system in Sri Lanka. However, the smooth functioning of the state university system is sometimes interrupted by student activism. Even though the purpose of activism is reasonable on students’ hands, it creates a huge social and economic cost in practice. Various measures have been taken to reduce the negative impact of activism; however, those measures appear to be less effective as the trend has been continued over the period. Hence, the purpose of this study was to identify the determinants of student activism. A questionnaire survey method was used to collect data and a quantitative approach was used in the study under the deductive reasoning method. The results revealed that a higher level of social networking, lower level of social commitments, and left-wing political ideologies stimulate students towards activism. The high level of social networking is the most influential determinant among others. The findings revealed that the factors like administrative failures, the social status of parents, and university subculture were not significantly influenced on activism in the Sri Lankan context. The findings of the study will be useful for administrators in making future policy decisions regarding student activism.

KEYWORDS

Student Activism; Determinants; State Universities

REFERENCES

1) Agnew, R. (2001). Building on the foundation of general strain theory: Specifying the types of strain most likely to lead to crime and delinquency, Journal of research in crime and delinquency, vol. 38, 319-361.

2) Barnhardt and Cassie, L. (2012). Contemporary student activism: The educational contexts of socially-responsible civic engagement, University of Michigan. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

3) Blau, P., and Slaughter (1971). E. Institutional conditions and student demonstrations. Social Problems, pp.474–487.

4) Burgess, P.M. and Hofstetter, C.R. (1971). The “Student Movement”: Ideology and Reality. Midwest Journal of Political Science, 15(4), p.687.

5) Charles, B.N. (1968). The Administrative Challenge of the New Student Activism: It Is Student Participation in the Planning of Curriculum, The Journal of Higher Education, Vol . 39, pp. 69-76.

6) Chandola, H. (2017). Growing Student Movement, Economic, and Political Weekly, Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/4364620. , 11(20), pp.727–728. Accessed on 08-03-2017.

7) Clarence, E., Tygart, and Norman H. (2017). A Research Note on Student Leftist Political Activism and Family Socioeconomic Status : The Pacific Sociological Review, Vol. 14, pp. 121-128, University of California Press.

8) Dimuthu Kumari M.S. & Fernando, R.L.S. (2021). Dealing smoothly with student activism: reflections of activists and administrators in Sri Lankan state university system. Muallim Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(3), 85-99. https://doi.org/10.33306/mjssh/141.

9) Di Ramio and Joslyn (2002). When Spiders Unite, They Can Tie Down a Lion: Student Affairs Practice. The Vermont Connection, 23.

10) Donald K.E. (2017). Students and Politics in Developing Nations, Pacific Affairs, Vol. 42, pp. 567-568, Pacific Affairs press.

11) Douglas Kirby, (2017). A Counter-Culture Explanation of Student Activism, Oxford University Press, Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/799485

12) Dyke N. (2017). Hotbeds of Activism: Locations of Student Protest, Oxford University Press.

13) Eckhardt, K.W. (1970). Religiosity and Civil Rights Militancy. Review of Religious Research, 11(3), p.197.

14) Ellsworth, F. and Burns, M. (1790). Student Activism in American Higher Education. Student Personnel Series 10. American College Personnel Association.

15) Feierabend, I.K. (1971). Why Men Rebel. By Ted Robert Gurr. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1970. Pp. 407. $12.50.). American Political Science Review, 65(1), pp.194–196.

16) Fletcher, A. (2005). Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People. Olympia, WA: Common Action

17) Garwe, E.C. (2007). Student Voice: Embracing Student Activism as a Quality Improvement Tool in Higher Education. Global Voices in Higher Education. IntechOpen.

18) Gorton, B.R.A., (2017). Militant Student Activism in the High Schools : Analysis and Recommendations. , 51(10), pp.545–549.

19) Herr, E.L. (2017). Student Activism: Perspectives and Responses Student Activism: Perspectives and Responses. 55(5), pp.219–233.

20) Hoge et al. (2017). Religion and Alienation as Factors in Student Activism. 33(4), pp.217–229.

21) Hoge, D.R. and Luidens, D.A. (1972). Religion and Alienation as Factors in Student Activism. Sociological Analysis, 33(4), p.217. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1984.tb00645.x

22) Janc, J. (2004). The meaning of the student advisory board Faculty of the Graduate School, University of Maryland leadership development experience to the student board members.

23) Jayasundara, S. (2014). Higher Education Policy in Sri Lanka: Implementation in State Universities. Scientific Research Journal, II(II), pp.41–44.

24) Jenkins, C. J. (1983). Resource mobilization theory and the study of social movements. Annual Review of Sociology, 9, 527-53

25) Kahn, R.M. and Bowers, W.J. (2017). The Social Context of the Rank-and-File Student Activist: A Test of Four Hypotheses. American Sociological Association.

26) L. Weiss, M. (2013). Student Activism in Malaysia: Crucible, Mirror, Sideshow. Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, [online] 28(2), p.361. Available at: http://carpetingnexus.com/student_activism_in_malaysia_crucible_mirror_sideshow.pdf [Accessed 21 May 2020].

27) Lazarsfeld, P. (2017). A Counter-Culture Explanation of Student Activism. Social Problems, 19, pp.203–216. Oxford University Press.

28) Lee, A.-R. . (1997). Exploration of the sources of student activism: the case of South Korea. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 9(1), pp.48–65.

29) Lipset S.M., (2017). University Students and Politics in Underdeveloped Alsatian Countries, Comparative Education Review, Vo. 10, Special Issue on Student Politics, The University of Chicago Press.

30) Lipset, S.M. (1966). University Students and Politics in Underdeveloped Countries. Comparative Education Review, 10(2), pp.132–162.

31) McAdam, D., and Snow, D. A. (1997). Social movements: Conceptual and theoretical issues. Social movements: Readings on Their Emergence, Mobilization, and dynamics. Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing Company

32) Manly, B.F.J. (2005). Multivariate Statistical Methods: A primer. 3rd ed. Chapman and Hall.

33) McAdam, D. and S Snow, D. (1997). Social movements: readings on their emergence, mobilization, and dynamics. Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing Company.

34) Miles and Herbaman, (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis: An expanded sourcebook, Beverely Hills, Sage

35) Millward, P.and Takhar, S. (2019). Social Movements, Collective Action, and Activism. Sociology, 53(3), pp.NP1–NP12.

36) Morris, A. (2000). Reflections on Social Movement Theory: Criticisms and Proposals. Contemporary Sociology, 29(3), p.445.

37) Neff, C.B. (1968). The Administrative Challenge of the New Student Activism: It Is Student Participation in the Planning of Curriculum. The Journal of Higher Education, 39(2), p.69.

38) Oxford English Dictionary. (2005). 7th ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

39) Philip, B. and Hofstetter (2017). The Student Movement: Ideology and Reality, Political Science Association.

40) Rosas, M. (2010). College student activism: An exploration of learning outcomes. Pro Quest Dissertations and Theses. p.211.

41) Samaranayake, G. (2003). Changing University Student Politics in Sri Lanka: From Norm Oriented to Value Orient Student Movement. Third International Symposium, University of Peradeniya, 1(1), pp.22–29.

42) Swaminathan A. & James B. Wade, (2000). Social Movement Theory and the Evolution of New Organizational Forms, The Entrepreneurship Dynamic in Industry Evolution, Stanford University Press.

43) Sheppard, P. (1989). The Relationship Between Student Activism and Change in the University, With Particular Reference to McGill University in the 1960s Faculty of Education, McGill University.

44) Snow, D. A., and Soule, S. A., (2009). A primer on social movements. New York, NY: W. W. Norton

45) Tian X. and Shen X., (2012). Academic Culture and Campus Culture of Universities, Higher Education Studies, Vol. 2, No. 2; June 2012.

46) Thomson, S.D. (n.d.). A Perspective on Student Activism, Theory into Practice, What Do All Those People Want? 8, pp.279–283.

47) University Grant Commission, Sri Lanka (2002). University Student Charter.

48) Van Dyke, N. (1998). Hotbeds of Activism: Locations of Student Protest. Social Problems, 45(2), pp.205–220.

49) Walker, I. and Pettigrew, T.F. (1984). Relative deprivation theory: An overview and conceptual critique. British Journal of Social Psychology, [online] 23(4), pp.301–310. Available at: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1984.tb00645.x.

50) Weeramunda, A. (2008). Socio-political impact of student violence and indiscipline in universities and tertiary education institutes.

51) Zilvinskis, John, et al. (2020). “Measuring Institutional Effects on Student Activism.” Journal of College Student Development, vol. 61, no. 3, 2020, pp. 372–378, 10.1353/csd.2020.0034.

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 02 FEBRUARY 2022

Indexed In

Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar